Mets Insist Santana’s On Schedule

Mets ace left-hander Johan Santana is on schedule with his rehabilitation and the team is not weighing whether to halt the process Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen said Sunday.

Associated Press

Johan Santana, seen in a February file photo from spring training in Florida.

Warthen called a Bergen Record report that the Mets were concerned enough about Santana’s progress to consider him shutting him down for the 2011 season “an absolute lie.” Santana, who went 11-9 with a 2.98 earned-run average last season, had undergone surgery in September to repair a torn anterior capsule in his left shoulder, and the Mets have publicly targeted his return for sometime in June or July.

“He’s right on time,” Warthen said.

Santana is in the second phase of his rehabilitation, Warthen said, and last threw on Saturday. In his workouts, he plays catch, making 30 throws from a distance of 45 feet, then 40 throws from a distance of 70 feet. He has not missed a session since the early stages of the process, Warthen said.